Joy to the World
By
Kristen Collier
Illustrated by Kevin Collier
A mysterious red triangular object with a white pom-pom on the tip fell unnoticed from the party vessel above. It drifted down through the Great Barrier Reef and came to a rest atop the head of Joy the Jellyfish.
“Oh my!” Joy exclaimed in wonder.
“Ooooh,” said Amy Anemone.
“Oh brother,” said Professor Plumpkin. He turned up his nose and guided his school of seahorses to another part of the coral reef.
“What is that?” Amy whispered, eyes aglow.
A dark, shadowy menace drifted above. Gentian, the Great White Shark, descended. “In lands far away, I’ve heard stories told, of a great king and that silly object upon your head.”
“It’s not silly!” Amy defended. “It is a gift from above.”
“As, is told, is the great king,” the shark said.
“But how will I discover the mystery of the red cap?” Joy pondered.
“Come,” Gentian grumbled. “I will take you.”
Joy and Amy looked at each other in surprise.
“Well, then,” Joy surmised, “I must follow Gentian.”
“Godspeed,” Amy Anemone said, waving in the undersea current.
The shark and jellyfish traveled far and wide. They crossed great undersea deserts where nary a creature could be found. From the Australian coast, past Africa’s choppy southern tip, Joy and Gentian ventured forth. After a very long and treacherous journey they swam north, and entered the ancient waters of the Mediterranean.
Joy spotted an eel zigzagging through the waters. “I say there!” she called. “Hello!”
“Yes?” The eel froze when it saw Gentian. Hastily it slithered behind the maze of wooden vessels that clogged the busy seaport.
“Oh, dear,” Joy responded, crestfallen. She turned to Gentian with a sheepish grin. “I do believe it might be best if I take it from here,” Joy whispered.
“Hmmpph!” Gentian complained. He swam off.
Joy hesitantly approached the foreign shore. She looked around for someone she thought might be a native. There, sunning itself on a nearby rock, she spotted a starfish.
“Excuse me!” she offered bravely.
“Why, hello,” the five-pronged creature said, enjoying its lazy retreat.
“Uh, yes. My name is Joy. I have come from far away to find the answer to a great mystery.”
“I am Sarah Star. To what mystery do you seek resolve?”
Joy lifted her head proudly. “I wish to know the origin of this magnificent red cap that graces my head.”
Sarah Star laughed. “That, my dear friend, is a Santa Claus hat.”
“A Santa Claus hat,” Joy said reverently. “This must be something very special indeed!”
“It is, Joy! Land dwellers use this cap and other decorations to commemorate the anniversary of a great king’s birth. It is the most joyous time of the year, a time for presents, songs, and parties galore.”
Joy nodded excitedly to Gentian, who lurked in the distance. “My friend and I have traveled many miles to this great sea of Mediterranean in order to discover the mystery of the renowned king. I knew this must be his missing crown!”
Sarah Star grinned and revealed the truth to Joy. The jellyfish and shark returned home to their beloved coral reef.
“So, what did you find out?” Amy Anemone asked excitedly as Joy approached.
“You were right, Amy!” Joy said triumphantly. “This hat is a gift from above. And so is the great king that started it all.”
Joy the Jellyfish held her head high and all in view gazed in wonder upon the red cap that sat so proudly atop her head.
"Gentian's Grumpy Day" Copyright © 2007 by Kristen Collier
All Rights Reserved
Illustration Copyright © 2007 by Kevin Scott Collier
All Rights Reserved
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